BSP edge in Ghaziabad?

Bordering with Delhi, this constituency is set to witness a fierce three-pronged battle among BSP, AAP and BJP with the Mayawati-led party, which has four out of five assembly seats, appearing to have an edge when this NCR area goes to polls on April 10.
BSP, banking on votes of Dalits, has fielded a Brahmin candidate in Mukul Upadhayay aimed at wooing upper castes. The party is also eyeing a good percentage of Muslim votes.
Having a reputation of being 'kaam ka admi', Upadhayay, a sitting member of the UP legislative assembly, however, bears the 'outsider' tag. But same is the case with other main contenders in the fray.

Neither BJP's nominee Gen V K Singh is from the district nor is Raj Babbar of Congress. Samajwadi Party's Sudhan Rawat and AAP's Shazia Ilmi Malik are also 'outsiders'. In all, 15 candidates are in the fray in a constituency having 23.55 lakh voters, 40 per cent of which are women. Rural and urban votes are almost evenly divided.
Locals say AAP, contesting for the first time in the Lok Sabha election, may not get the desired support even as the constituency is the nerve centre of the party as it has lost the faith of the people. However, there are some pockets where it can give both BJP and Congress a good run for their money.

BJP is also unlikely to cut much ice with voters mainly due to sitting MP Rajnath Singh's perennial absence from the constituency. Eyebrows were raised among BJP functionaries after the party chose to field the former army chief from here.
Corruption charges are the biggest impediment for Congress so much so that its tie-up with Ajit Singh-led RLD may not even ensure Jat votes. The Muzaffarnagar riots and the Supreme Court blaming the Akhilesh Yadav government for the violence have may affect the prospects of the Mulayam Singh-led party.